JTech780

The mistake was signing Neal in the 1st place. This trade is an attempt to make the best of a bad situation. We don't need Lucic to be a top 6 player just like we didn't need Neal to be a top 6 player. We need is someone to fit a role, Neal didn't fit a role on this team and never would have. I don't think the Flames are expecting Lucic to be a top 6 player. I also don't think Neal is a top 6 player anymore, though he may get played in the top 6 in Edmonton, but that is just because of their lack of any kind of scoring depth. We are replacing a 3rd line player with a player with a 3rd line player who fits the role better, and contrary to popular belief has put up similar or better numbers on the PP and 5v5 over the last 3 years. I see us getting a player with similar offense, but is much better in his own end and is one the most imposing physical players in the league. I get that I may be in the minority but I have to agree with Cross, I think we are getting the better player, and the numbers sure bear that out.

For anyone hoping to move Lucic somewhere else, it sure seems unlikely.

Neal's last shift as a Flame.

The coaches job is to win games, not to try and make one player happy. I believe we have a better chance of winning with Lucic than Neal. I think the same can be said in reverse for the Oilers. We also don't know what the situation was with Neal, the coaching staff or management. Perhaps Neal requested a trade. Perhaps the relationship was so untenable that the only thing to do was to move Neal. At the end of the day I think the move makes sense for Calgary, but I get the opposition.

Trading Neal was never going to solve the cap issues, we were always going to have to take back another bad contract. Trading Neal was always about getting rid of a player that didn't fit with the team and didn't fit with the coach. Moving Stone, Brodie and Frolik was always going to happen regardless of trading Neal.

Just to add to your thoughts, even if Neal returns to 20 goals with the Oilers, it really shouldn't be all the concerning for us for two reasons. 1. He wasn't going to score 20 goals for us and would have continued to struggle and put up similar numbers as last year. He just didn't fit here. 2. If he does score 20 goals, that's all he will do, he doesn't play defense, his physicality is really overblown and mostly non existent, he doesn't make his teammates better.

Lucic didn't play with Nice that often, about as often as Neal played with Gaudreau. Lucic's main linemates last year were Brodziak and Kassian.

I actually think Lucic will be a much better fit on the 3rd line than Neal, Lucic is also a year younger than Neal. Lucic and Neal have very similar production over the last 3 seasons, but Lucic brings a better defensive game and significant increase in physical presence.

Just replacing 2 left shot winger with 2 left shot wingers. Too much is made of players playing their off side, tons of players play their off side and succeed.

Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm Tkachuk-Backlund-Bennett Lucic-Ryan-Mangiapane Dube-Jankowski-Czarnik This is if Frolik gets moved. I think Bennett can be productive with Backlund and Tkachuk. Lucic gives Ryan and Mangiapane some size on their line, I also think moving Mangiapane to his off wing gives him a chance to shoot more.

I think it's coming,the league and the NHLPA just agreed that the numbers can't be used in contract negotiations.

I wonder with the new player tracking coming next year if we will see players average speed. In baseball they have statcast and they track average sprint speed for their players, it would be nice to see something similar in the NHL.

I was just looking at Neal and Lucic's totals over the last 3 years and some might be surprised that Neal only has produced 1 more point than Lucic at 5v5 in the last 3 years. All the while Lucic has been a much better possession player over that time frame while playing on the Oilers, while Neal played on good teams like Nashville, Vegas and Calgary.

I understand that getting Lucic is less than desirable, but moving Neal was imperative. Neal isn't a top 6 player and he wasn't a top 6 player when we signed him, I think it is funny that the Oilers think he can be a top 6 player. Everybody watched Neal play last year right? He was one of, if not the worst players in the entire league last year. Lucic actually out preformed Neal in just about every way last year. Lucic put up slightly better numbers in P/60 and P1/60 (Primary points per 60 minutes). After watching Neal last year I just don't see how he bounces back, he was so bad, quite possibly the worst season I have ever seen from a player in a Flames uniform. He contributed nothing to this team last year. Lucic at least fills a role for this team, he is grossly overpaid, but so is Neal, he is very slow, I would say from what I seen last year Neal is slower. I just really don't think this trade is as bad as people are making it out to be.